Paducah’s Market House Theatre is being helmed by a new managing artistic director for the first time in decades this season.
The community theater tabbed Benjamin S. Grimes to take charge of the nonprofit organization in April – following the retirement of longtime executive director Michael Cochran after more than four decades with Market House Theatre.
Grimes, a veteran of both the U.S. military, spoke with WKMS ahead of the new season. He said he is excited to bring a new vision to the future of the theatre and help continue the successes of past seasons. He also wants to continue the theatre’s tradition of supporting the community that surrounds it by helping collect resources for other nonprofits and through other initiatives.
“Market House has been so successful. So let's continue that success. Let's continue that legacy of education and community outreach. But how can we evolve that? How can we, you know, further serve our community in new and exciting ways?” said Grimes. “People can feel good about purchasing their tickets [because], when they come to the theatre, they're also supporting a nonprofit that's doing good work in the community.”
Grimes – who calls Little Rock, Arkansas, his hometown – graduated from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and the Clinton School of Public Service. He’s also served in the U.S. military, being deployed in 2006 as an airborne infantryman and, in 2017, to Iraq.
Grimes split his years as an actor between time in the military.
“My acting career was going so well that I joined the Army,” Grimes joked. “I joined the Army and did some tours to Iraq, and then found my way back to theatre after.”
He has held leadership positions in theatre companies in Chicago, New York and Little Rock. Throughout his three-decade career, Grimes has worked to blend both performing arts and public service, including his founding of the Riverside Actors Theatre – a company dedicated to addressing trauma and issues facing veterans and at-risk communities through performance.
Founded in 1963, Market House Theatre has played a major role in the western Kentucky city’s arts community for more than 60 years. It began as a small group who wanted to start a theatre group, performing as the Market House Players at a local union hall before making the Market House building their permanent home. The theatre has since expanded to include other spaces around downtown Paducah.
Grimes credits Cochran, who served as executive director for three decades, with giving him what he describes as a head start.
“There's a fantastic staff there that does more, pulls more than their weight, every single day. Michael, obviously, is a visionary,” he said. “He built this little theatre from this tiny, little one space theatre to a campus of buildings with a host of programming. And so really, it's been learning about the intricacies of the organization and then finding where are the areas that we can streamline and offer our programming at the same rate, but not quite as much of a strain on the staff.”
Grimes said beyond “Comedy of Tenors” and “Dial M for Murder,” the current season for Market House will feature a Christmas pageant youth show, “Jesus Christ Superstar,” and “Heat Lightning” – which was penned by Cochran.
More information about the current season of Market House Theatre, including ticket information, can be found on the MHT website.
